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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. shower — rain
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. game — wild animals
  8. drill — the tool
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wake — a trail
  12. craft — boats
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. shower — to wash
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. game — a match
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stock — shares
  22. drill — a practice
  23. squash — the sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com